The Early Years

As a young girl, change was all around me. My parents surprised my siblings and I with a color television. My favorite thing to do as a child was turn on the television, join my brother and sister to snuggle on the couch with a blanket, and watch cartoons such as Mickey Mouse Club and Bugs Bunny together. TV was one of my favorite pastimes as a child, and the ability to have a wide variety of shows and advertisements was much different from my parents’ experiences growing up. During the holiday season, I eagerly watched television ads for classic games such as Monopoly and Sorry, as well as for pretty dolls. At every opportunity, I begged by parents to purchase one of the toys that caught my attention on television. My middle class family lived just outside of New York City, and while my parents wanted me to focus on reading books and drawing artistic works, the sometimes gave in when I tearfully begged them for the latest toy I had seen on television. The world seemed so fun, bright, and beautiful at the time.